Seismic sensors detect seismic activity as waves of acoustic energy that travel through or on the surface of the Earth. Various signal detection and monitoring networks deploy arrays of surface and sub-surface seismic sensors for a variety of applications where detection and processing of seismic activity is required. Communications from a seismic sensor to recording or processing devices are often done through hard connections such as electric cabling and fiber optic. In addition, sensors can communicate between each other using wireless transmission which can employ any number of methods, including radio frequency (RF).
As the functions for seismic sensor arrays increase in capability and performance and become more remote in location, increased reliability of communication between the sensors as well as communication to the recording or processing units may be required. In environments where hardwired or electromagnetic wireless communications are not feasible or are not an option (for example, in secured or clandestine signal transmission purposes), other methods of communication may be implemented. Because of the different media that smart seismic sensors have to operate over, standard modulation/demodulation techniques using carrier frequencies may not only be difficult to implement, but may be so unreliable as to make them useless. An acoustic transmitter does not currently exist to transmit data in a smart seismic sensor in a reliable manner.